Lassa Fever: Lagos Speaker calms Lagosians nerve, suggest maintenance of hygienic environment, an antidote

By Lanre Adesanya

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has appealed to Lagosians to keep their houses and surroundings clean and ensure they eat well-prepared food.

Obasa’s admonition is coming on the heels of the confirmation of a reported case of Lassa Fever victim in the state.

The Speaker, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Musbau Rasak, urged Lagosians to remain calm as the state government has not only put its health workers on alert to combat the disease, it also possesses the necessary medical institutions and equipment to tackle the disease.

He also urged doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to brace up for the new challenge of the dreaded disease, noting that their swiftness in arresting the scourge will allay fears among the people.

While advising residents to be mindful of the implications of the outbreak of the lassa fever in the state, the Speaker said, “We should maintain clean and hygienic environment all the time and also ensure that our meals are not only well-cooked but are also kept away from rats since it has been discovered that rats are the major carriers of the disease.”

He however told Lagosians to refrain from embarking on self medication, urging them to report to any nearest hospital if they have symptoms of the disease or see anybody that has symptoms of the disease. “We should not indulge in self medication. It behooves on us to report to the nearest hospital if we have symptoms of the disease or see anybody with the symptoms of the disease and that is why we must remain vigilant all the time,” he said.

According to Obasa, symptoms of the deadly disease include: headache, sore throat, cough, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and general weakness of the body.

He stated further that while the state government is battle ready to combat the disease, Lagosians can only assist government in its desire to rid the state of the new danger by providing health workers with the needed information all the time.

“While commending measures put in place by the state government to combat the disease, I want to assure our people that indeed, in Lagos State, there is no cause for alarm on the issue of Lassa Fever disease,” Obasa said.